The ever-increasing cost of indium, a rare earth element used in coatings for transparent conductors (TCs), has given an impetus for research into several alternatives for use as a TC. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and other amorphous TCs (fluorine doped zinc oxide, etc.) also have problems with use in the flexible electronic industry.
In recent years, carbon nanotube films and graphene have emerged as potential replacements for ITO as a TC in various technological applications such as photovoltaic devices, electronic displays, etc. However, these alternatives still fall short of the required performance for TC coatings in terms of transparency and sheet resistance. Accordingly, a need exists for effective alternatives for TC coating.